Furnace.



J. CARSON.

FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. lane.

Patented July 10, 1917.

UNITED STATEFQQ PATIENT @FFI@E.

JAMES M. CARSON, on DANIA, rnonrna.

FURNACE.

Application filed March 22, 1916.

To all whom it may concern-r Be it known that I, Janus M. CARSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dania, in the county of B-rowa-rd and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

It is a well known fact that the ash or residue from the combustion of the root of the palmetto contains arelatively large percentage of potash, and that this ash, exactly as produced, is useful for fertilizing purposes. But the production and recovery of this ash on a commercial scale has never been successfully practised on account of the fact that, altl'iough the palmetto grows in great profusion in. tropical and semitropical countries, the cost of cutting and hauling the root from the fields where it grows to a point where it may be successfully burned or consumed makes it pro hibitive. V

My invention is designed for the production of a furnace, which is simple and cheap in constri'ictio-i'i, which may be readily moved from point to point and quickly erected for operation, and which is peculiarly adapted to the burning of palmetto roots and other green wood. As the palmetto root in its green state contains a larger percentage of potash than when seasoned, and as green woodis more difficult to burn and reduce to an ash than seasoned wood, special means have been provided for regulating the draft of air at the base of the furnace, for preventing the wind and air currents from scattering the "ash which falls into the ash pit, and for furnishing an additional supply of air to support combustion at points intermediate the ends of the furnace.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of grate bar and means for-mounting the same, whereby the danger of an acc uniulation of ash upon the grate bars whichclogs "the openings between the bars is reduced 'toa minimum, and whereby the grate bars may be separately removed and renewed from the outside of the furnace.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and the novel features thereof will be set forth in the claims.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 191 "2.

Serial No. 85,927.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a furnace embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is detail sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

F ig. l is a detail sectional view on the line 4% of Fig. 2.

Like reference numerals parts in the different views.

In the embodiment of my invention h'erei-n shown I have provided a rectangular base 1 of brick or other suitable material, at the four corners on which are 10- ca-ted the brick work or masonry uprights or pillars 2. The uprights 2 are themselves preferably rectangular in cross-section and are evenly spaced. apart. The space within the uprights 2 above the base 1 constitutes the ash pit. Supported upon the uprights 2 is a rectanglar frame made up of two parallel bars 3, 3, and two parallel bars 4-, a, at right angles to the bars 3. The bars 3 and l are preferably constructed of channel iron each resting upon one of its side flanges. The bars 3 and 4; are secured to each other at the four corners of the rectangular frame indicate like by means of angle-ir0n brackets 5 with rivets or bolts 6 extending through said brackets into the said bars, as shown in detail in Figs 3 and 4 of the drawing. Riveted or otherwise secured to the upper sides of the bars 3 and 4E, and constituting a part of said rectangular frame, is a horizontal plate 7 provided with a large central opening 8 which extends almost to the outside edge of the bars 3 and 4: at the sides of the rectangular frame. The bars 4:, a, of the rectangular frame are provided with a series of openings 9 therein equally spaced apart, and within these openings are located and secured the grate bars 10. These grate bars are cylindrical in form being preferably conthe fact that the ash settles and rests upon the flat portions of the bars forming itself in pyramidal masses, which eventually topple over, fall down and close the spaces between the grate bars, thereby clogging the grate and preventing the ingress of air from beneath to support the combustion within the furnace. By the provision of a grate bar of cylindrical form I effectually prevent the accumulation of ash on the upper surface thereof, the ash as it is formed falling down through the spaces between the grate bars into the ash pit.

Supported upon the bars 3 and 4: of the rectangular frame and located within the opening 8 in the horizontal plate 7 isa cylindrical casing 11. This casing is preferably constructed of boiler plate, and within it is the combustion chamber where the material to be burned is consumed. It is vertically disposed and is located centrally above the base 1. It is slightly smaller in diameter than the opening 8 in the horizontal plate 7 so that it will snugly fit within said opening and rest at four points upon the bars 3 and et of the rectangular frame. In this way its weight is firmly supported through said horizontal frame upon the uprights 2, and it is held against lateral displacement. Intermediate the ends of the casing 11, and preferably at points slightly below its center, a series of openings 12 are provided, which serve as supplemental air supplying passages as will hereinafter appear. These openings may be made of different dimensions according to the particular character of the material to be consumed in the furnace.

As my improved furnace is intended to be used in the open air in the field where the palmetto or other green material to be consumed grows, it is important that means he provided for regulating and controlling the bot-tom draft in accordance not only with the material to be consumed but with the atmospheric conditions under which the furnace may be called upon to operate at different times. It is Wholly impracticable, for example, to have the space beneath the casing 11 where the ash pit is located entirely open to the sweep of the wind. In the first place the wind would scatter and dissipate the ash which had accumulated in the ash pit and in the second place a proper draft to support combustion would not be obtained. To provide for the successful oper ation of the device under the varying conditions which will necessarily be met with adjustable doors 13, four in number, are located in the spaces between the uprights 2. These doors are pivotally connected along their upper edges to the horizontal bars 3 and 4. of the rectangular frame, so that they normally lie in vertical position entirely closing the passages between the uprights 2 leading into the ash pit. One or more of these doors may be opened to a greater or a less extent by merely drawing the same outwardly and hooking it in proper position ,to the chains 14;

From the foregoing description it is believed that the operation of my improved furnace will be readily understood. Briefly stated, however, it is as follows:

After the parts of the device havebeen sired to obtain the ash. As the combustion proceeds, the green palmetto root or other like material is continuously fed into the casing through its upper end and thereafter the combustion is continuous. That is, no additional kindling is necessary, and therefore the ash is not aclulterated. Air to support the combustion of the green material in the upper part of the casingll is supplied through the supplemental openings 12 and the draft at the bottom is regulated from time to time by a proper adjustment of the doors 13 in accordance with the conditions under which the furnace is operated. As the fuel is consumed the ash falls through the spaces between the grate bars 10 into the 'ash pit below, and from time to time the ash is removed therefrom and placed into suitable receptacles therefor.

It will be observed that my improved furnace is extremely simple in construction, that the parts thereof are such that they may be readily transported from place to place and readily assembled, and that the only thing necessary, when any change of position is made, is to construct a new foundation or support for the portable parts.

Having now described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a furnace, a series of uprights constituting supports, a rectangular frame resting upon said supports and comprising four bars and a horizontal plate secured thereto, the said plate being provided with a central opening, horizontal grate 'bars carried by said frame and a vertically disposed cylindrical casing fitting within said opening and supported uponsaid frame.

2. In a furnace, a series of uprights constituting supports, a rectangular frame resting'upon said supports, two of the side bars of said frame being provided with circular openings, a series of parallel cylindrical grate bars fittingwithin said openings and or other green material from which it is de supported by said frame, said grate bars being separately removable, and a cylindrical casing supported by said frame above said grate bars.

3. In a furnace, a series of uprights constituting supports, a rectangular frame resting upon said supports, and comprising four bars and a horizontal plate secured to the upper edges thereof and provided with a large circular opening, two of the opposite bars of said frame being provided with a series of small circular openings, a series of parallel grate bars loosely fitting Within said small openings so as to be readily capable of removal from and re-insertion into said small openings, and a cylindrical casing fitting within the large opening in said horizontal plate and supported upon said frame.

4. In a furnace, a rectangular base, four uprights at the respective corners thereof forming within them an ash pit, a rectangular frame supported upon said uprights, grate bars carried by said frame, a cylindrical casing supported upon said frame above sald grate bars, doors controlllng the spaces between said uprights leading into said ash pit, the said doors being pivotally supported from the side bars of said frame so as to normally lie in a vertical closed position, and means for holding one or more of said doors in open or partly open position.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES M. CARSOW. Witnesses 7M. M. STOGKBRIDGE, M. S. DENIOKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1). 0. 

